Opposition leader Simon Busuttil yesterday denounced the “institutionalised corruption” surrounding the case involving Mark Gaffarena, calling for political responsibiity to be shouldered.
He wondered how the Parliamentary Secretary for Planning, Michael Falzon, had not yet resigned his post, adding that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat ought to also shoulder political responsibility over the matter.
Interviewed on the Nationalist Party’s radio station, Dr Busuttil said Dr Falzon had admitted going on a hunting trip with Mr Gaffarena, who, he said, became a millionaire with the expropriation of a property in Old Mint Street, Valletta that was rented out to the government until 2028.
Dr Busuttil said Dr Falzon had also admitted that it was Mr Gaffarena himself who chose pockets of land as part of the compensation deal for the exprioriated property. Stretches of land in Żebbuġ as large as seven football grounds were adjacent to other property Mr Gaffarena already owned.
The properties also included a house in Sliema, the ground rent of which would expire next year and its value would rise sharply, Dr Busuttil said.
“After saying he was not involved, Dr Falzon has now admitted that he met with [Mr] Gaffarena at Castille, went on a hunting trip with him and that it was [Mr] Gaffarena who approached the government to sell the property to the government.
“He has also admitted that an official in his office accompanied [Mr] Gaffarena to the Land Department and that Dr Falzon signed the deal,” he added.
Dr Busuttil said all these declarations pointed to “institutionalised corruption” because they indicated that what was taking place had the government’s blessing.
Both the Prime Minister and Dr Falzon should shoulder political responsibility, especially since the Land Department fell under Dr Muscat’s remit, Dr Busuttil said, adding that reversing the deal was the least the government could do. He pointed out that there were families who had been waiting to be compensated for expropriated land for three or four decades.
Dr Busuttil recalled that Dr Muscat had apologised for the Café Premier fiasco, saying it was the fruit of haste and inexperience. But while Dr Muscat was making such apologies, the government was concluding deals with Mr Gaffarena, he said.
“The Prime Minister lied to us,” he stressed. During the interview, Dr Busuttil also referred to government plans to use Żonqor Point to site for the new American University of Malta.
While the Opposition had questions on the qualifications of the investor to set up a university, it was strongly against using a site outside development zone for the project.
The PN, Dr Busuttil said, wanted to clean up politics, and he intended to launch initiatives in this direction, including a proposed new code of ethics, which a new Nationalist government would enforce from its first day in office.